The Best Mechanical Gaming Keyboards

Mechanical keyboards have flourished over the past couple of years, attracting hordes of enthusiasts and gamers with their solid clicks and precise action. So it’s no surprise that so many companies want to get a slice of the action.

There’s now more choice than ever before, and we’re also seeing many features introduced with this new wave of keyboards, such as RGB lighting and ridiculous levels of key customization. There’s also a wider variety of switches coming to the forefront, as both companies and customers seek alternatives to Cherry. Here are some of the best mechanical gaming keyboards.

Razer Black Widow Chroma Stealth

Razer’s core BlackWidow design is very familiar now, it’s a little bulky down the bottom but not excessively. The smooth, matt plastic on this Chroma edition resists grubby fingers well, and you can tell the keyboard is well reinforced too. Razer’s mechanical keyboards use either its Stealth (orange) or Clicky (green) switches. Kailh manufactures them, but Razer has a hand in the design and its own QA staff oversee production.

Logitech G810 Orion Spectrum

The G810 Orion Spectrum, with its matt black finish and simple design, it has a more grown-up, understated feel. The material picks up fingerprints easily, but it’s undeniably solid. The feet can also be set to two different heights, which is useful, as the G810 feels flat without them. The key feature is the set of Romer-G switches. Gaming is just as good too; fast, repeated taps don’t feel hindered.

Corsair K70 RGB

The Corsair K70 RGB’s brushed aluminium unibody faceplate adds allure, class and strength like no other keyboard’s faceplate. The cable is non-detachable but secure and thick, and the keyboard’s power draw requires two USB ports, despite having no pass-through feature. Grip is excellent, and even the non-mechanical buttons, a dedicated brightness control, a Windows key lock and a set of dedicated media keys, are well made with solid action.

Roccat Ryos MK FX

Roccat’s Ryos MK FX is the largest keyboard, partly because it has both a left column of five macro keys, as well as three macro keys below the spacebar. They’re all very convenient to reach from a standard WASD position, but they’re also flat and stiff in order to prevent accidental actuation. In addition, the Ryos MK FX has a wide trim around the keyset, including a builtin comfortable wrist rest.

Tt eSports Poseidon Z RGB

Getting a mechanical, RGB-backlit keyboard for under £90 is almost unbelievable, yet the Poseidon Z RGB manages this feat, and it’s pretty well built too. The smooth, matt black plastic and small profile mean it’s also aesthetically inoffensive, and the grip is good too. The cable is flimsy, and there are no extras in the box, but you can’t ask for everything for this price. Meanwhile, the Tt-Certified Brown switches are Kailh’s version of Cherry MX Browns with Tt eSports’ seal of approval.